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I absolutely hate being ruled by my schedule. When I first started blogging, I decided to start an e-zine but I quickly realized that it was controlling me. I wasn’t enjoying the “promised” flexibility that comes from working at home, instead I found myself working all the time. It was not how I intended it to go down and it only made me frustrated.

It’s a good thing that I have a rebellious streak in my blood, which in turn, found myself resisting the DEMAND. Usually, that takes form of doing something fun or organizing my junk piles. Most people would call this procrastinating. Well, once again, in the last few weeks, I have found myself lost amidst the “demand” leaving me feeling overwhelmed and stressed.

So yesterday in the midst of my long To Do List staring at me in the face, I threw caution to the wind and enjoyed doing something fun with my kids. My kitchen was a mess. My living room looked like Thomas the Trains Tornado whipped through and dinner was not on the table. Oh and my husband was gone for the evening so I was supposed to man the fort: dinner, clean up, homework and the never ending bedtime routine(we’re in that phase of life with our 3 yr old)…

We enjoyed a family backyard picnic for dinner! It always amazes me how simple, goes a long way. But I did add little extra touches like candles and pillows, which my boys noticed and loved. They loved every bit of it–from the décor, to the ambiance and the easy meal. We enjoy dinner out on our patio often but it’s been awhile since we enjoyed an outdoor picnic on the grass in our “back yard” (it’s actually our side yard).

So for our family backyard picnic dinner we enjoyed Cilantro Lime Chicken Pitas. This recipe got my creative juices going and I’m going to start a series here on my blog called Simplified Cooking. The menu for this series will usually entail something that’s not made from scratch and mixed in with fresh and homemade. For this meal you’ll need Tyson Panko Chicken Nuggets from Sam’s Club and my fresh homemade Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Sauce. I could seriously eat salad for months with this dressing. I love that it’s healthy and easy to whip up.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Sauce

Handful of cilantro about 1/4 cup

1/2 cup Nonfat yogurt

1/3 cup White Wine Vinegar

1/4 cup Olive oil

1 tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 tablespoon Cumin

2 Garlic cloves

juice from 2 limes

Salt as needed

Directions:

1. Place all of the above ingredients in a blender and serve!

For the chicken I followed the directions on the package and sprinkled it with Chile Ancho spice. This is a bit more mild than the Chipotle spice and it still has that yummy roasted flavor. You can also add the Chile Ancho spice to your sauce.

For those of you who are dying to know my shop details here’s the info: Sam’s Club has the Tyson Panko Chicken Nuggets for around $11. I made a bunch of the chicken nuggets and placed them in the fridge for their lunch the next day.

So cute! I love the idea of a picnic! Sometimes I wish I have a backyard, but at least I have a river close to home, my girls would love to have it there.Blanca D recently posted…Shorts Pintados para un Look Patriótico